Whether you play mutiplayer games, chat with friends or family on Hangouts or Skype, or work from home, you need a good microphone. Your computer may have one already, but whether it's any good is debatable. Here's how to pick the best microphone for your needs.

The best type of microphone for you depends almost entirely on what you plan to do with it once you set it up. You'll definitely want different hardware if you're planning to do audio recording, podcasting, or making YouTube videos than if you're just doing some gaming with your friends or using Skype and Hangouts to keep up with family. Let's take a look at a few different use cases, and explain what type of microphone you'll probably want in each case.

Choose the Right Form Factor and Audio Interface for You

If you need a microphone for any real regular use, you should consider things like audio interfaces and microphone styles. For audio interfaces, you usually have two options:

Analog: Analog mics plug directly into your PC's 3.5mm audio-input jack. Analog audio ports give you a ton of flexibility, since you can always add a pre-amp or more audio processing gear in between the microphone and your PC, but if you don't have any of that gear, you're trusting the audio chipset on your computer's motherboard to handle microphone duties, which can be a dealbreaker in professional cases.

USB: As the name implies, these microphones plug in via USB, and depending on the model, can be complicated and include their own pre-amps and audio processors. Others, of course, are just cheap microphones, only USB. You give up some of that flexibility that analog microphones offer, but for many users, a good USB microphone wraps up all of the features they need with good audio quality and throughput so they don't need the extra gear. If one USB mic isn't enough, you can always pick up a digital interface to hook up multiple analog mics later.

Microphones of both types come in all shapes and sizes. Stand-alone desktop microphones, headsets with attached microphones, and more can both be found in analog and USB variants. One isn't necessarily better than the other, and often the one you should buy comes down to how often you'll need it, which ports you prefer to use (or have available), and whether you'll ever need to plug it into anything beyond your computer.

For the Light User: Go Built-In, or a Webcam Microphone

If your uses are light and you don't really have a specific need for your microphone—aside from the fact that you know you'll need it from time to time—you can probably save some money and go with the microphone built in to your laptop (if you have one), or get a solid webcam with a microphone built-in and call it a day. In both cases, the microphone will be more than enough for your needs.

You'll have to pay closer attention to things like ambient noise and sound in the room while you chat or while you take that video call, and your audio won't be up to snuff if you start doing more demanding things like recording podcasts or playing multiplayer games—both of which we'll get to in a moment—but it's the cheapest option, and it gets you where you need to be. Going with a built-in microphone or a desktop microphone means you don't have the luxury of keeping the microphone close to your face while you speak, but ideally you won't be too far from it anyway. Still, if your needs step up at all, it's time to move on to the next category.

For the Gamer or Frequent Video Chat User: A Headset or a Dedicated Microphone

If your audio needs are more frequent, it's time to step up from whatever you already have, or whatever's built-into your computer. For example, if you play multiplayer games with voice chat, work from home and participate in video calls, or regularly use Skype or Hangouts to talk to family or friends, a dedicated microphone or a headset with an attached microphone is a good investment. We've talked about some of the best headsets with attached microphones, and our friends at Kotaku have some gaming-focused suggestions. If you need a headset for office needs, The Wirecutter has a great, affordable pick as well. The benefit of a headset is that you have the microphone close to your mouth, and you usually have mute and volume controls on the headset itself. Plus, most headset mics are directional, meaning they do a better job of cutting out the surrounding noise around you that may distract anyone you're on a call with. Plus, it's a little less clutter to have your microphone attached to your headphones instead of a separate device on your desk.

If neither of these approaches appeals to you, a dedicated desktop microphone will do just fine, but keep in mind that those cheap, awful $5 desktop microphones from the department store usually won't give you much in the way of voice quality. Depending on where it's positioned and the type of microphone it is, you'll sound far away, muted, or worse you'll' pick up a lot of extra noise and background sound. Desktop mics are usually cheaper though, so do what works best for you—if you generally game or take video calls in quiet spaces, it may not be an issue for you.

For the Video Creator, Musician, or Podcaster: A Dedicated Microphone

If your needs extend to recording your voice, or recording any audio at all, it's time to step up to a microphone designed for the task. Headsets are generally enough if you're only doing live audio, but once you need to record it and potentially mix it with other, higher-quality audio, you'll need a microphone to match. The Wirecutter suggests the Blue Yeti, a $100 microphone that a few of us at Lifehacker own and can vouch for. They also have a number of other models in the same range (and more expensive) that are worth a look. While you're at it, you should definitely consider a simple pop filter to put in front of your mic, and think about natural reverb and room noise. If you're trying to record professional audio in a home, you may need soundproofing on the walls or floor (if you have hardwood floors), or a noise-isolation screen.

At this level, you want the highest possible quality while recording your audio so you can manipulate and edit the sound freely. Most low-end cardioid microphones are a decent step up despite being cheap, but if you spend a little more on a mic with a super cardioid pattern that tighter profile will pickup less room noise. Using a high-quality dedicated microphone also gives you the freedom to take your gear with you, plug in to whatever other devices you need to use, and get consistent sound anywhere. It's especially important for musicians and podcasters, where the voice recording is just a piece of the final, mixed, edited product. It's definitely more of an investment than some of the more affordable microphones we've mentioned, and some don't bother going this route at all—instead they'll stick to their favorite headset and plug it into other audio mixing gear and record their audio separately. You'll find a number of YouTube "Let's Play" videos produced this way—namely so they can continue to wear gaming headsets without compromising on audio quality in the final video. If you're really thinking about going pro, this article from Media College and this article from Sound on Sound are good jumping off points for more research.

Whichever group you fall into, hopefully we've given you some tips to get you started on the hunt for the perfect microphone for you. Remember, not everyone needs to spend a hundred bucks on a mic targeted at podcasters and musicians, but some people should definitely step up from the $5 analog mic they got back in the 90s if they want the rest of their team to understand them. There's a whole other category of users—professional audio producers—that we haven't touched on at all in this piece, but most people will fall into one of these categories. Good luck, and happy hunting!